In the 6 or so years I've been reviewing underground electronic music, D-Trash Records has been one of the few labels that I've received material from consistently, and it's been rather cool to track the development of the label. My opinion of their records is often varied, but I have a ton of respect for them and their aesthetic, and it's rare that I don't like at least a few parts of each record.


This recent offering from the label comes in the form of a 4 way split album, all more or less breakcore/ digital hardcore themed. To the best of my knowledge this is the first time I've heard from any of these artists, but I definitely want to hear more.


The anarchistic fiesta begins with 4 tracks from Belarussian project Clip, who have a nice and harsh style, by far the harshest sounding of the four projects here. There are some nice guitars and distorted sample usage to accompany the spastic ADD beats, which is nice. The overall focus seems to be raw power via distortion, and that is definitely achieved here. Good stuff for sure.

Up next we have 4 tracks from the brilliantly named US project Midi Fister, which take us in a comparatively more polished, glitchy direction that is definitely enjoyable. The breaks are very much still emphasized here, but there is a ton of stuff going on, with lots of nice textures and cut ups thrown into the mix. At times I can see elements of Contra at play.... By far the best produced effort of the projects here, and possibly the most diverse.

Russian noiseters Distonn are up to bat in the third round, offering yet another set of four tracks is a pretty straight forward breakcore style, with the addition of punk guitars and various sample abuse/ plunderphonics, at times a bit grindcore influenced. At times the material is more raw, at other times, more polished, but the beaks and samples are in from most of the time. I wish there was less emphasis on the samples, because some of them just aren't that strong. I enjoy the usage of the foreign pop songs, but I don't really need to hear a high pitch Papa Roach sample over and over. Overall it's good stuff though.

Disbreakz close the show with their 4 tracks, and this Croatian project continutes in a similar vein as their predecessors, only with even more emphasis on samples, again in the form of foreign pop (which likely isn't so foreign to them, maybe.), and less guitars. The samples are used a bit more effectively by this project, but I do think it's a bit of a crutch. The beats are nice, as are the other sounds used, and it's definitely okay stuff.


All in all, this 4-way split is pretty solid, and it offers up enough variety to please most anybody who digs good breakcore. If you dig you beaks fast and broken, check this sucker out! I definitely recommend it.

This self titled debut release from Swedish post punk/ goth project Diskoteket is certainly a treat. The press release for the album name drops both the Sisters of Mercy and the Talking Heads as aural references, and I can actually see that a bit, though much more so in the case of the former than the latter, as this is much more in the 80's goth/ post punk scene than an artsy fartsy venture.

That said, this definitely isn't another sisters copy cat band. Not at all. There are a lot of influences to be heard in Diskoteket's sound, but they fuse them all together in a voice than is their own. All of the songs on this 7 track ep have a vibrant, dramatic energy to them that I very much enjoy. The bass is very much up front in the mix, right next to the atmospheric synth work, through in more of a Joy Division sense than a funky Gang of Four style. The guitar reminds me at times of both the Banshees and The Cure, though it's more texture than a leading instrument. The drums are awesome as well, very tribal with lots of rolls thrown in.

But I have to say that it's really the vocals that do it for me. Anna-Karin's vocal style is very interesting and wild sounding, with lots of trilling and passionate over-emphasis that works really well. Unlike many foreign bands, Diskoteket don't sing songs in english, which for me is fine, as it makes the vocals even more otherworldy sounding.


This is a very nice record and I very much recommend it if you at all enjoy goth/ post punk type of stuff.

Les Modules Etranges 'In Silence' EP



Wow. This is some beautiful stuff, another awesome release from the Zorch Factory netlabel, this time a release from the french duo Les Modules Etranges. "In Silence" appears to be the second EP from this awesome post punk/ goth project, and it's just pain awesome! While there are only 4 tracks on the album, the listener is treated to an aural buffet of goodnes that is both diverse and well formed: Beautiful female vocals, pounding, tribal percussion, chaotic and jagged guitars, thumping bass grooves, ominous synth textures and a very healthy amount of reverb and chorus!

The title track reminds me a bit of Pain Teens, and maybe a little of Swans. It has that awesome slow, brutal grind to it. The other tracks have a bit more of a post- punk sound to them, but all of them are dark in mood and theme. Azia's vocals remind me a little bit of Bliss Blood and a bit of Tina Root from Switchblade Symphony, she has that kind of ethereal yet nursery rhyme thing.... It's very haunting and effective.


"In Silence" is a very awesome album from a very awesome band. Les Modules Etranges are worth your time for sure.

I have to be honest in saying that the only initial reason I listened to this band was because of it's name, which is a reference to a film by Marcel Duchamp, one of my all time favorite artists. Thankfully, there is much more to this project than just a very cool name.

'We All Dream, We All Die' is to the best of my knowledge the first album by this Spanish goth/ darkwave project, released on the Zorch Factory netlabel. If so, it's a very mature first effort for sure. The sound here is an interesting take on the familiar goth rock genre, fusing the proven elements of slow drum beats and reverb with ominous keys and drifting, shoegazey guitar riffs to create a unique sound. The focus here is placed on instrumentation, with only minimal vocal presence on the five tracks.

There is a very epic vibe to these tracks, which is due mostly to the brilliant and effective use of synth pads and orchestral riffs. That isn't to down play the guitar, which at times brings to mind Joy Division at their most minimal. The beats add a nice and steady pounding thud that is at times martial and tribal, kind of like godflesh, but the similarities lie only in the drum machine. The use of atmosphere here also brings to mind more ethereal bands like Love Spirals Downwards and Slowdive.


All in all, this is a very solid release. My only gripe is that there are only 5 tracks. It's worth the download for sure, and I recommend you check it out if you enjoy the darker, more ethereal side of the goth/ darkwave spectrum.

I seem to have a certain proclivity for European female vocalists, at least when it applies to electronic music. From Miss Kittin or The Knife to 64 Revolt, I'm likely to be more into a project as soon as I hear that sexy foreign accent. Which brings us to Psy'Aviah, a Belgian project on the Alfa Matrix label (possibly one of the few projects that share the same homeland as the label), who just so happen to have some damn sexy female vocals, not to mention pretty spiffy music.


"Entertainment Industries" is Psy'Aviah's second full length album, though I have yet to here their first effort, so I can't compare them. What I can say is that this is 16 tracks of solid inventive EBM/ Electropop goodness. The majority of the tracks lean more towards the EBM side of things, with a focus on creative synthlines and beats that aren't afraid to get dirty and experimental, though never outright noisy. The pop side of things is explored only really on a few songs, my favorites of which are probably the catchy "In the shadows" and the slightly eerie (in a good way) "Tired". But they're all very solid tracks, and they can only really be fit into proper genres in a broader sense, as they definitely have their own take on danceable electro.

If you like your EBM with more bite to it and would enjoy some electro pop that wasn't trying so damn hard to sound like Apoptygma Berzerk and the like, I highly suggest you check this record out.